Interview | Five minutes with budding producer /songstress Saïna

Born March 17th 2000 to an English father and Japanese mother, Saïna is a young singer/ songwriter from London UK. I managed to speak to Saïna after her performance at our bi-monthly event Music Revolution at Stoke Newington’s Stereo92. Saïna told us who inspires her and breaks down her 10 year goal !

Hello and how are you Saïna?

Hey! I’m good thank you.

What made you sing?

Well, I started playing the piano when I was 7 and started getting into playing songs that I liked at the time. When I was 12, I wanted to try singing lessons at school to sing along to my pieces that I was playing.

What is the source of inspiration for creating new songs?

I have to say, Amy Winehouse has always been my biggest inspiration. I was massively influenced by her jazz-influenced style.

When was your first ever performance and how did you feel?

My first ever performance was when I was 13 at a school cabaret. The audience was quite a big one, with parents and other students and I found it quite nerve wrecking. I sang Heart of Blue by Shannon Saunders with a friend of mine, while my music teacher played the piano. I got a real buzz performing in front of an audience and with each gig I do, even the ones I do for small groups of friend, I feel my confidence grow a little bit.

How does it feel to be at school and still pursuing your music career?

My school has been very supportive of my ambitions in music. Obviously lessons and exams kind of get in the way of songwriting, but I’m hoping that’ll be less of an issue once I go to The BRIT School in September.

Who are your musical influences?

Amy Winehouse, Denai Moore, Loyle Carner, Chet Faker and Tom Misch.

What did each of your musical influences teach you?

With Amy, it’s the jazz influence, with Denai it’s more her soulful vocals. For instrumentals, I like Loyle Carner and Tom Misch.

What does it feel like to have your father manage your musical career?

He’s not really managing my career exactly, although he takes an active interest in the songs I produce, he gets involved sometimes in talking to other musicians, producers and gives me feedback on my recordings. He’s even written lyrics for me, which I used for my song, When The Money Runs Out. He’s a film director, so I think we might end up working on some music videos together at some point.

Do you have any goals that you want to achieve in the next 10 years?

In the next 10 years or even less, I’d like to have created my own identity for the music I make. I’d like to create a unique sound, influenced by jazz and pop. I’d also like to have had a few hit singles and made a few albums.

What’s on your playlist at the moment?

On Soundcloud, Saïna, you can check out my Original playlist. The latest song I produced and wrote is called ‘Honestly’. My older songs I played on my acoustic guitar. I plan to record some new songs over this summer, just as soon as I’ve got my GCSEs out the way! Thanks!